Port Richey woman is one of the few to become an ASE Master Technician

PORT RICHEY, Fla. (FOX 13) - Nikki Brock has always had a drive that took her where not a lot of women would steer. She has always been interested in cars, ever since she was a teenager. Today, her passion for pistons made her one of the select few in the country to become an ASE Master Technician.

“I was always interested in cars. You naturally generate towards something. It always appealed to me at a young age,” Nikki explained to FOX 13.

She became an ASE Master Technician with Ed Morse Auto Plaza in Port Richey. She recalled that she was excited to turn 16, and legally get behind the wheel.

"(My first car) I think it was a Mercury Montigo MX with a 351 in it,” Nikki said with a laugh. “It was pretty cool."

Nikki’s father is who got her interested and encouraged her from the very beginning.

"My dad thought it was cool,” she said. “He would show up to my night college classes, my engine rebuild classes with McDonalds coffee and sit and watch. I learned a lot from him.”

Nikki makes up less than one percent of all ASE Master Technicians.

"I’ve never thought about it actually,” she said. “There's not a lot of women who want to do it and I've often wondered that maybe it's a fear of not being able to do it.”

Nikki said she tries to inspire the next generation. She plans to retire one day, however, she'll never retire from working on cars.

"Man or woman, you should really do what you want to do,” she said. “I don't really think that anything should hold you back from that. I mean your gender, your religion, your beliefs, it's your life. Do what you really want to do.”